Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Michael
I had the herbal tea served, and the plane was ready for us. I’d spent the past few hours not sleeping as I spoke to my lawyers in England about the suit.
Soon, we would be there in person to handle it.
Sleeping on a couch, though, had me thinking a lot. Britney had been right the night before—cooling it down was the only way to move forward.
And Operation Romance began. She might have been pretending for the time being, but I wasn’t.
When she woke, I had breakfast and the ring she’d picked out ready and waiting for her.
She unlocked her door, fully dressed in a fluffy yellow dress with layers. It reminded me a bit of a giant yellow bird though I kept that to myself. She stopped upon seeing the ring and picked it up.
“You didn’t call your friends over to get their opinions on the ring last night.” I took it from her.
“I wanted to keep my promise and talk to you, but I passed out.”
She’d written her resignation message to her workplace, had a glass of mineral water I’d poured, and started snoring fifteen minutes later. I’d kissed her forehead and tucked her in her sheets.
“I put you in bed,” I said.
When I slipped the ring onto her finger, she smiled at me. “How did you learn to help so much?”
“I was motivated when I saw you.”
The time had come to tell her the truth though I did want to let her eat first.
As she finished her toast, she rubbed her head. “Sometimes you act like it was love at first sight for you.”
I stood with her and cleaned the plates quickly. “Don’t you believe in love?”
She followed me out to dry what I washed. “Not really. In high school, I thought coupling was all some sort of joke. I never really wanted to see anyone ever again when I finished.”
I offered her my arm as it was time to fly. “So you were rebellious even then.”
She stared at me and blushed. “Yeah. I watched a lot of TV then.”
We headed downstairs to the limo. “That’s interesting as you don’t have one.”
Once we were in the moving car, she smiled at me. “I can stream on my laptop, and I spent my teenage years wishing for the lives I saw.”
Interesting. We had such different lives. I’d had tutors and was supervised at all times by nannies until I left for college.
“What was your favorite show?” I asked.
She laughed. “ Sex and the City .”
We passed security and drove onto the runway where the plane waited. “That’s why you picked New York?”
“Yeah.”
She scooted out of the back seat with me and took my hand as she stared at the private jet. Then she squeezed my palm more tightly and walked up the steps toward our leather seats. We would only be in flight for an hour, so I’d ordered the small jet readied.
She pressed her lips together, and once we were airborne, she turned and asked, “Why did you end up in Manhattan and not London? I know hardly any details about you.”
Her nerves were interesting, and my heart beat a little faster since she was finally noticing me.
I winked and said, “You weren’t interested before.”
Her eyes widened. “I am now.”
I traced her hand, still in mine. “My parents weren’t comparing me to anyone.
They are narcissistic and care only about appearances, if I’m entirely honest. I felt alone most of my life until I went home freshman year of college with Kir and Charlie.
They had a caring mom, a strong family bond, and I’ve never wanted to leave. ”
She nodded. “Their mom is nice. I can’t imagine raising all those boys, though. I’d have gone crazy.”
I shrugged. “Me too.”
“Good. For a second there, I thought you’d tell me you want a dozen children.”
“No,” I said. “However, their dad, Parvis, has helped me build my wealth, and for most of my life, the Norouzis helped me amass a fortune because I pay the bills they forget about.”
Her knees brushed into me. “So you already care for the estate.”
The air smelled like her lavender and citrus shampoo, and my heart stirred. “Directly, no. I don’t want to cater to more whims, but I know, one day, I’ll get the estate.”
The plane’s wheels rushed against the pavement, blocking our ability to speak for a minute.
As we taxied to a terminal, she brushed my face and said, “So you’re responsible and good in bed. What is something fun that I don’t know about you?”
I leaned closer until our foreheads brushed. “That until you came to the apartment I’d been staying in, I had no idea how to use a vacuum, and I laughed when you judged me.”
She laughed and held her stomach as we deboarded and said, “I’m sorry I was a snob.”
“It’s okay.”
Then we headed to the waiting limo. At Charlie’s house, I’d seen a few TV movies where the girl goes back home after her successful New York life and dumped the city boyfriend to find some guy from her small town. That idea hit me again as we were driving past some tobacco crops.
I was tense because I hadn’t shown Britney how wonderful our life could be and I wasn’t ready to lose her.
We stopped in front of a one-story ranch house built in the 1970s.
Britney seemed tense as she whispered, “It looks smaller.”
“Ready to go talk to your parents?” I asked.
Until recently, Britney had seemed strong and determined, but her face had turned white. As I stood taller, she said, “I can’t believe we’re here.”
I would take her pain away if I could. “Just hold my hand.”
“Promise not to leave me.” Her voice was soft, like a melody that played in my heart.
I puffed out my chest as though making a solemn vow. “Never.”
She glanced at me and stepped closer. I hugged her, but then the front door opened.
Her mother had her hair in a severe bun and was dressed in a style of pants suit I hadn’t seen in years. Her father wore a light-brown short-sleeved striped shirt and waved for us to come in.
Britney gave me a pained look, but we stepped inside.
Brown couches faced a huge television that was the centerpiece of the living room, playing a football game.
Britney held her head high and said, “Mom. Dad. This is Michael. Michael, this is Betty and Rob.”
I saw movement behind the kitchen wall.
Britney pointed and waved. “And I think that’s Ava back there.”
Her sister put down a dish towel and walked out with a huge smile. Her blond hair looked softer than Britney’s. She shook my hand first then told her sister, “Hi. It’s been a long time, Britney.”
As I studied the women, Britney was clearly the beauty though her sister resembled her mother.
Britney said, “It has. How are the kids?”
She squeezed my arm and said, “Excited to meet their aunt if you’re staying for tonight’s party.”
I glanced at everyone and asked, “Party?”
Ava said, “Mom and Dad’s wedding anniversary.”
Britney’s blush meant she hadn’t remembered.
I smiled and asked, “How long have you two been married?”
Her mother, Betty, took my hand and said, “Thirty-five years now. There are no divorces in our family.”
“Mine either,” I said, not mentioning that went back eight hundred years.
Her father stared at me, and her mother smiled.
Then her sister asked, “So tell us your story.”
Britney tilted her head and asked, “Our what?”
“How did you two meet?” Ava said and stared at both of us.
I leaned forward. “My best friend and her best friend are engaged. Britney thought I was the butler.”
Her mother snorted. “You thought a duke was a butler?”
I pressed my hand to my chest. “Future duke. I’m only a marquis for now.”
Britney rolled her eyes and stared at me. “Right, so I was wrong, and he found it charming.”
I met her gaze and saw a brightness there. I nodded. “Britney is one of the most caring women I’ve ever met.”
Her sister held her stomach. “Caring? That’s what you are now?”
Britney blushed. “Stop, Ava. Where is your husband?”
There she was—the sister Britney had mentioned—yet Britney was holding herself together like a queen. She was my idol.
Ava shrugged. “He’s bringing the kids over in a bit. I didn’t want to overwhelm them without checking you out first.”
Britney pressed her hand to her heart. “Michael and I are getting married soon, and I thought it would be nice if he came over here and saw where I came from.”
Her father said, “Well, stick around for the party. We have Billy grilling in the backyard soon.”
Britney stepped back and tugged my hand. “We’ll check into the hotel and come back.”
Her mother said, “Hotel? Don’t be crazy. We have your room ready.”
Britney’s eyes widened. “My old bedroom?”
Her mother said, “We figured if you ever came back, you’d want something. So go and show your fiancé and then be back to help.”
Part of me wondered if I should offer to help with the food. For the past month, I’d been having fun learning how to cook some.
As we walked down a hallway with paneled-wood walls, I whispered, “They seem nicer than expected.”
She came closer and pointed toward a door in the back. “I don’t know what’s going on right now, Michael. If you weren’t here, I’m certain my return would have gone very different.”
“Whatever happens, we’re in it together,” I promised.
Seeing the world she’d come from was interesting. We’d grown up quite differently, and perhaps her strength had come from having to stand on her own two feet for a long time.